“Vacant, Fallow and Virgin” lands through space and time: a tool at the service of Myanmar’s authoritarian State

Keywords: land, myanmar, territorialisation, authoritarianism, conflict
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Friday
Session Start / End Time: 2/25/2022 08:00 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/25/2022 09:20 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 60

Abstract

Myanmar has a long lasting legacy of authoritarian governance. The very recent military-led political coup of February 2021 has deeply shaken the country with nation-wide uprisings. It generates an awkward sense of déjà vu with the 1962 military coup and the 1958 and 1988 violent crackdowns. Decades of military dictatorship have deeply marked Myanmar’s land management system with arbitrary evictions, confiscations, and rampant corruption. This is exemplified by a specific land category called “Vacant, Fallow and Virgin” (VFV) lands which represents over 30% of the country’s total area as alleged by Myanmar’s land administration statistics. Legally considered as void of rights, VFV lands can be allocated as concessions for various types of investment projects. In reality, rural and urban communities may already use them for different purposes. During the democratic opening from 2011 to February 2021, different political interventions targeted these lands with contradictory objectives: distribution for the "landless", restitution for the victims of previous confiscations, concessions to companies, stirring up old grudges and new claims… Based on empirical data built up over 4 years of qualitative field research in Myanmar, I will look into the genealogy of VFV lands since colonial times, and show how this liminal and blurry land category has conveniently served Myanmar’s authoritarian state to assert its power over the territory in multiple ways.